Marine Biodiversity Monitoring and Surveillance

There are multiple UK and European policy drivers for
biodiversity monitoring, such as the
EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the EU
Habitats Directive amongst others. Some drivers explicitly
require monitoring programmes to be developed, for other drivers
the requirement for monitoring is implicit in the need to assess
and report on the changing status of marine biodiversity, and to
manage human activities to minimise impacts on biodiversity.

For all these drivers, improved evidence on the state of marine
biodiversity, and focussed research into whether and how the
biodiversity elements are changing in response to both natural and
human induced pressures, are vital.

As part of the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy JNCC
lead in developing a coordinated UK Marine Biodiversity Monitoring
R&D Programme, working with the country nature conservation
agencies and UKMMAS partners. The Programme spans UK
territorial and offshore waters, and includes monitoring for all
biodiversity elements both in the wider environment and within
Marine Protected Areas. Its aim is to develop options and
refine methods for efficient, integrated monitoring of marine
biodiversity to provide the evidence needed for all the policy
drivers.